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bass master

Making the switch from freshwater to saltwater

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The easiest thing to forget is that most every fly tied for saltwater will float & many will need some type of weight to cover the water column from topwater thru mid level to bottom bouncing or especially in rolling surf fly fishing beaches when trying to keep a tight line to strip strike as high sticking & trout slip strikes don't get that rip their lips off hook set.

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After a bit of thought I remembered one of the things I wish I'd known before taking up tying larger flies... and that is to carefully preserve tools like good quality scissors that every tier needs for freshwater - but you can easily damage or dull using them on the heavier, rougher materials that come into play for the salt... I long ago quit using scissors any time that I could use a small pair of nippers instead... and I can't count the pairs of scissors I ruined before going to a pair of tailor's snips that had removable blades that could be independently sharpened using a good quality stone...

 

Of course I was a commercial tyer for many years so I was working in quantities that most tyers don't encounter but - if you have a high end pair of scissors - save them for tying freshwater stuff if possible...

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Probably will want an assortment of bite tippets as 20lb is good for snookin' the beach, but 25 is better for not feeding larger fish flies where Spanish Mackeral will most likely bite thru both unless one gets lucky with a hook set. Tarpon bite tippets can be 30 lb, 40, 60 &/or 80 lbs depending on size. Short coffee colored wire also works better for certain toothy species.

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A lot of my warm water flies are cross overs. My bait fish patterns are used in fresh and salt water. I tie them either with Senyo Laser Dub or blended Mirror image and they range from 1 1/2" to 4". Crease flies can be used either as top water or fished subsurface on an intermediate or sinking line. My poppers the same, though I've tried a fire tiger one. Shrimp flies, I'll sometimes use as cray fish patterns. I normally use heavy mono or fluorocarbon for leaders, 20 to 40 lb. One trick is to tie my bait fish patterns on a long shank hook. The bare hook in front of the pattern helps prevent bite off. This is not best example but it will give you an idea of how to tie it. This one was intended to be fished in the surface film, so the piece of foam on the front.

 

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A lot of what you learned fishing for bass can be applied for salt water. Structure, whether mangroves, rocks, shell beds, drop offs, bridge pilings. Current breaks. Types of bait in the water. Birds working.

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Sorry for the delay. Between getting busy and the Forum server being a pain in the fundament, it's been tough to get back. Sound advice all around. Looks like you will be in my general area, I like to fish the Charlotte Harbor area. Fly wise the bottom line is that the most consistent inshore food source in the area is bay anchovies. Smallish patterns in chart over white will catch anything that eats other fish for a living. Granted there are days that fish will prefer something else but that is my bread and butter. I'll either fish a clouser or a Marabou Estaz. I tie these clousers on an EC413 60* jig hook. That hook will ride point up even with small eyes. I use a #2 as the hook is a little longer with the 60* shank. If you don't have any then no worries, use what you have. Look into them though, as they are a servicable hook and are around $10 per 100. You will probably straighten a #2 on bigger tarpon. The Marabou Estaz was shown to me by an angler who originally developed it in the Connecticut area but in all white for the blues and stripers up there. Here he ties it with a chart over white marabou tail topped with some silver flashabou and then palmered pearl estaz "grande" to the head. He uses red thread head to represent gills, personally I use black (for an eye). They both work. If you coat your thread wrapped hook shank with supper glue gel before palmering the estaz it helps with durability. You'll only glue your fingers together once or twice a session. I use a cheap plated Mustad live bait hook that can be found at walmart, usually size 1/0-3/0. The hook acts as weight, it's chunky (and strong). For top water I use crease flies and gurglers in all white, olive over white, or grey over white. In truth with topwater it doesn't seem to make much of a difference most days so if you like to make pretty flies then add the color, eye spot, and gill slash. I use makers for that. Throw in some tan based flies for if you get up into the mangrove creeks. Interestingly the Marabou Estaz and the Schminnow (all white with black plastic dumbbell eyes) are very close but seem to have been developed independently. I know that the Marabou Estaz is a derivative of Lefty's Bloom Fly, I assume the Schminnow is as well. Best of luck! Bet you buy a boat....Bwahahaha!

 

Swamp

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